Torn between
by Pinned back Wings
Summary: Alessa was the troubled child of the Kriticos's. Cyrus, her late uncle, left her family a "little" surprise when he past away. Can her family handle it? Especially the things that lerk in the basement... Torn PrinceXOC
1. Ben Moss

* * *

**_Torn Between  
_**_by VintageMassMurderer  
Chapter one: Ben Moss_

* * *

_Turning, spinning, spiraling into each corner._

_"How many rooms can one house have?" shady figures stand in a circle, joining hands, reciting an old chant. None look towards each other, but instead are in perfect alignment with each other. No matter how hard she shouts, no matter how much her voice screams, they won't hear her. She talks a step forward and then another step forward, watching in amazement as they are lifted off the ground in a sort of "flight."_

_"Dear god, help these souls..." her voice rang out in the empty room. The figures spin and spiral, one catches her eye;_

_"Mom?" her half burnt face smiled towards her and then watched the spiraling heart, and joined back into chorus with the others. No matter how hard she tried again, her mother's head wouldn't turn, then suddenly, fire built up and burnt her._

* * *

Six o'clock read the clock as the girl flew up in her bed panting and her face ran in cold sweat. She turned her head, but no matter, no one came to see if she was alright. She didn't care in the first place, after her mother died, no one really paid much attention to each other; that's why Maggie was here, to give Bobby attention.

She gave her arms up as her black hair fell onto her shoulders and her dark brown eyes fluttered open.

She drug her lazy bones out of bed as she used her fingers to "comb" through her hair. Once she opened the door the sunshine filled the once dark and empty room, Kathy ran around making breakfast and pouring coffee into a cup for dad. She sat down right next to Bobby as he did his recording for 'Death in Manhattan this Morning.'

"Today in 'Death in Manhattan this Morning', we notice a small leap in heart attacks in the city, cancer deaths are down. And we have a special threat for everybody-- a body was found this morning, decapitulated, decapilated, de--" Maggie walked up behind Bobby with a cup of coffee and cracked up in laughter.

"It's decapitated, Bobby." Kathy, of course, being the party pooper turns towards him with wooden spoon in hand, nonplussed.

"Bobby. Find a healthier hobby." The smaller version of Kathy looked towards her and glared.

"I swear your worse than a mother on her child's first day at school Kathy." Kathy swirled around, keeping her foot in place and glared at me. She stuck out her right hip and also put her right hand on her hip and glared right back at her.

"Alessa! Why don't _you _find a hobby, it'll probably keep you out of trouble." Alessa huffed and slid down into her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She was always the 'problem child'. Ever since she was little she always was in trouble, when she wasn't in school she was either in 'time out' or when she got older, down at the police station. A total of fifteen times she has been down to the police station for stealing, assault, resistance, ditching, and even breaking and entering.

Her father walked in, chipper, he smiled and grabbed his cup of coffee.

"'Morning everyone!" he took a swig out of his cup and walked over to the table.

"Dad! They found a guy without a head in a dumpster behind Dunkin' Donuts!" Arthur walked over and ruffled Bobby's hair and took another _sip_ out of his cup.

"That's nice, Bobby." He walked over to my sister, Kathy, if you forgot, and had a little 'chit chat' as he liked to call it. Alessa sat there, her head swimming with thoughts and memories. She wished her mother was still her, then they would have a bigger place, more money, so she could _actually_afford her school. She didn't pay for it-- the school did. After the fire, the school offered Alessa a scholarship and she took it with open hands, but after she graduated, she would have to pay it back.

"Jesus Christ, that's the third time I've tripped on that thing! Get it off the floor before it kills someone!"--that's what my thoughts were interrupted by. Alessa looked at her dad as if he had grown a third arm which, who knows, he probably did.

"Sorry--," Bobby looked down, finding interest in his shoelaces as he started to eat the scrabbled eggs Kathy had made him. Speaking of Kathy. she always wanted the last word in;

"Maybe if we had a bigger place we wouldn't have this problem..." _Christ, she thinks she is just so fucking bad ass 'cuz she thinks she's cool saying that to dad?_

"Well, we don't have a bigger place, so lets keep ourstuff of the floor." He directed his stare to Alessa as he picked up the last item laying on the floor, which happen to be Alessa's roller skates and placed them under the table. Suddenly, the doorbell rang--well buzzed.

"Shit... I forgot... the lawyer."

"What lawyer?" another beat came from the door, _someones impatient_, "I thought our debt was all cleared up?" she asked hurriedly, passing a side ways glance towards the door and back at Arthur.

"No, no, not that, it's something else." he replied, reaching for the door and opening it while trying to get the slipped coffee off his crotch.

"Mr. Kriticos?" A man with a black suit asked, watching my dad mop his crotch with the towel. _That must be embarrassing,_ she thought to herself.

"Ben Moss?" the man outstretched his hand and shook my dad's.

"Ben, yes, how do you do?"

"Fine, come in?"

"Is now a good time?" Ben asked looking towards dad's crotch. Alessa rolled her eyes and whispered under her breath, _just come in already dumbass_.

"Couldn't be better." Arthur opened a little ways so Ben could sneak in, he stole a glance at my sister then towards Maggie, and lastly me. _It feels like he's undressing me with his eyes_, Alessa shivered and turned her head towards her dad.

"As you all probably heard, I'm Ben Moss, a lawyer."

"No shit, Sherlock." Alessa snapped impatiently, she wasn't one for the introductions.

"Language young lady." She snapped her head over to her father.

"You said it two minutes ago." Arthur shook his head and glared at his daughter, softly enough though, so she got the message.

"I'm Kathy, Arthur's daughter." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes, trying to be sexy.

"And I'm Bobby!" He threw a cute smile and went back to eating his cereal.

"I'm Maggie, the babysitter of sorts." She held out her hand as Ben proceeded to shake it.

"And whom might this lovely lady be?" Alessa snorted and gave a short simple reply;

"Alessa." She gave him the cold shoulder as her father pulled up a chair for Ben, next to her, and he set up his little laptop. While doing so, he was whispering over to her.

"I like them feisty." Alessa looked at him and shoved her elbow into his stomach.

"Oops sorry mister." She smiled sweetly as Ben glared at her.

"Yeah, sure." Once his laptop was set up, everyone gathered around.

"As you know, I represent the estate of your Uncle Cryus Kriticos."

"I didn't know you had an uncle." Kathy smiled towards dad and back at the lawyer.

"Had. I met him a couple of times as a kid. My father disliked him, said he squandered the family fortune."

"We have a family fortune?" Alessa piped up, clearly now interested.

"Well, no. Cyrus squandered it, didn't I just say that?" Feeling foolish, Alessa zipped her mouth and watched. Maggie turned to Bobby and smiled excitedly.

"Isn't this exciting? You have a late uncle!"

"What's he late for?"

"Don't they teach you anything in school?" Alessa whispered towards him, wishing she hadn't, she earned a your-grounded-for-a-week look.

"His next birthday."

"You mean... he's dead?!"

"Now, we've got his attention." Kathy rubbed his head and turned back to the monitor. Ben took out a disc and inserted it into the CD tray.

"This message was recorded by Cyrus six months ago. He asked that it be played for you in the event of his death..."

* * *

**~Fin, for the time being.~**

**A/N: Comment and leave me a flame or a complement... so I can continue with the story :) Buh bye.**

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	2. Message

* * *

**_Torn Between  
_**_by VintageMassMurderer  
Chapter two: Message_

* * *

_"Now, we've got his attention." Kathy rubbed his head and turned back to the monitor. Ben took out a disc and inserted it into the CD tray._

_"This message was recorded by Cyrus six months ago. He asked that it be played for you in the event of his death..."_

* * *

The laptop screen flipped on and a picture of an elderly man with a quite extensive collection of odd-- _unique_things behind him. Alessa lent in more as Ben turned up the volume.

A distorted angle soon came from the monitor and the computer "spoke","Arthur, good to talk to you." Ben tilted the screen forward, releasing the glare that was radiating off the screen from the kitchen window and showed a more clear picture of this "uncle Cyrus". Cyrus lifted a small, thin--if you will, cigarette to his mouth.

"Sadly, if you're watching me now,that means I am no longer among the living. Happily, that makes you and your family my sole beneficiaries." Everyone exchanged looks of anticipation.

"I've instructed my lawyer, Mr. Moss, to deliver to you the essentials of my last will and testament." Ben produces a small box, and laid it on the table. He begins to open it. Inside the silk-lined interior is a large, odd-looking key.

"A key?" Kathy inquired like the curious cat she was, but you know the saying, _'curiousity killed the cat.'_

"A key to what?" Arthur asked looking at the strange key.

"A key to your new house." Cyrus answered for Ben.

"Can he hear us or something?" Alessa quietly asked, looking at the computer strangely as it changed again.

A series of windows on the computer screen open to reveal a series of photos of an astonishing modernist masterpieces. Alessa and her family watches the interiors flash by, the living room, bedrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms, everyone at the table gasps.

"Bathrooms! Look, every bedroom has a bathroom!" yelled an excited Kathy.

"This house is the fruit of my life's work. It's a one-of-a-kind home. I've led an interesting life, seen many amazing things. The only regret I have is that I never really got to know my nephew Arthur. This house is my attempt to make up for that. Enjoy. Perhaps we will meet again...in another life." Cyrus smiles. The screen goes blank. Arthur can't believe his eyes, nor his good fortune.

"Wow." Bobby said, his mouth gaping open.

"When can we see it?" Kathy asked the lawyer, Ben.

"The house is yours, whenever you like." Kathy turned to Arthur and asked if we could go tonight.

"I'm planning on heading out there after work. The directions are a little fuzzy. If you want to, your wife and kids could follow me out --" Maggie raised an eyebrow and interjected.

"I am not his wife." Kathy rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath.

"My wife, um she um--"

"Our mom got burnt to death in a fire." Alessa's eyes dropped, finding her, bright red, toe nails interesting at the very moment. Her life had been nothing without her mom, she tried to do things that would make her mom proud, but no matter what she did she did something wrong and was sent down to the police station or to the principle's office to get a little 'chit chat' in.

"Bobby..." Kathy said towards him, seeing my expression and their father's expression.

"What? It's true."

"Robert, that's enough." Arthur looked towards Bobby with an unreadable expression--depression...anger? "So where is this place?"

"A couple hours away."

"Great, so we can spend the night, and come back in the morning." Kathy said, glee written all over her face.

"We're not staying the night."

"Why not?" Alessa asked, using a pout face towards her father.

"Because you have school in the morning, and I have to teach. We'll go look at it, but we're coming home tonight." He turned towards Alessa and smiled, "Deal?" A smile crept across Alessa's and Kathy's face, giving their dad the answer.

"So when are we leaving?" Alessa asked her dad, but he didn't answer, he just went into his room and changed his shirt.

"I think after you got to school and your dad gets back from work." Ben answered for Arthur, she scoffed and glared at him.

"Thanks daddy." Ben's smirk widened as he whisked a hand through his hair.

"I like it when people call me 'daddy'." If she liked him, and if they got married and had kids, he would probably molest them. She shivered at the very thought of having sex with his baboon. _Great, now that image is burnt into my head forever!_ her inner 'self' yelled as she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.

* * *

Soon the school day was over and Alessa's dad, Arthur, drove her and Kathy home, Ben, Bobby, and Maggie we waiting outside the apartment. Alessa got out and went straight over to Bobby and gave him a big hug. For seven hours she survived not listening to his 'unhealthy' hobby, which she loved.

"We all ready?" Ben asked, looking towards the family. Alessa stood up straight and went over to her dad's car, but it was packed. While Alessa was hugging her brother, Kathy decided to steal the front seat and Maggie was sitting in the back seat with Bobby already. She swung around and walked over to Ben's car.

He rolled down the passenger's seat window and lent over.

"Yes?" He asked. She grumbled and mumbled and finally asked if she could sit in his car on the way up. He nodded his head and before he had a chance to open the door she slide into the car threw the window like the did in nascar races. She threw her backpack in the back, but not before getting out her science homework, her textbook, and her CD player. She snapped her earphones on and turned it all the way up as she listened to Papa Roach's newest CD, Infest.

Scratching and scribbling and groans of frustration went through the car as her favorite song came on.

_"Cut my life into pieces  
This is my last resort  
Suffocation  
No breathing  
Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding_

_This is my last resort_

_Cut my life into pieces  
Ive reached my last resort  
Suffocation  
No breathing  
Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding  
Do you even care if I die bleeding  
Would it be wrong  
Would it be right  
If I took my life tonight  
Chances are that I might  
Mutilation outta sight  
And I'm contemplating suicide_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
Losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_I never realized I was spread too thin  
Till it was too late  
And I was empty within  
Hungry  
Feeding on chaos  
And living in sin  
Downward spiral where do I begin  
It all started when I lost my mother  
No love for myself  
And no love for another  
Searching to find a love up on a higher level  
Finding nothing but questions and devils_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me in fine  
Losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
Nothings alright  
Nothing is fine  
I'm running and I'm crying  
I'm crying  
I'm crying  
I'm crying  
I'm crying_

_I cant go on living this way_

_Cut my life into pieces  
This is my last resort  
Suffocation  
No breathing  
Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding  
Would it be wrong  
Would it be right  
If I took my life tonight  
Chances are that I might  
Mutilation outta sight  
And I'm contemplating suicide_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
Losing my sight  
Losing my mind  
Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine  
Nothings alright  
Nothing is fine  
I'm running and I'm crying_

_I cant go on living this way  
Cant go on  
Living this way  
Nothings alright."_ Ben listened along as he did on every song, and he found this song the most disturbing.

_

* * *

_

Their cars pulled up side by side as Alessa turned off her CD player and put her textbooks away.

"My god..." She jumped out of the car and looked at the house. An enormous and majestic house made of glass nestled amongst pine trees. Stark against the evening sky, the house is awe-inspiring. Even for a teacher, Arthur has a hard time finding the words. There was also a Power & Light truck parked in front. The group approaches the front door. It looks unusual, yes, but it's also an undeniable architectural marvel.

"That's strange." Ben said.

A young man appears, waiting in the solitary light of the porch, a clipboard in his hand and a tool belt slung over his shoulder. He's dressed in a Power & Light uniform,he approached the group.

"'Bout time someone got here. You the owners?" the man asked, shinning the light along our faces.

"Who're you?" Ben asked, getting nerved.

"The power guy. I don't know if you're aware of it, but this place keeps knocking out the power in the tri-quad area. So if you don't mind, I need to check the breakers inside."

"Couldn't come back tomorrow?" Ben asked, getting real peeved at him.

"Well, I could -- I mean, I could -- but, man, they frown upon that sort of thing, my bosses."

"That's not our problem --"

"Look, I've only been doing this job for, like, three weeks. If you could find it in your hearts --,"

"Sure." Alessa's dad answered before Ben had the chance.

"Thanks...." the man says back to him.

"Arthur, Arthur Kriticos."

"Quite a place you got here."

"Yeah... we're movin' in." Alessa beat Kathy to it as she stuck her tongue out and Kathy turned her head away.

"One step at a time..." Arthur smiled at his family.

Outside the main structure is an entryway, with an inner and outer door, almost like an airlock. Arthur produces the odd key and slips it into the keyhole. The locking mechanism, visible within the glass, beckons. Arthur turns the key. As it turns, we hear the Mechanism click and whir. Then, oddly, the key is sucked into the keyhole, and vanishes. Everyone looks at the now-empty keyhole, then at each other, then back at the keyhole.

* * *

**A/N: I've been watching and reading a transcript from daily script, and I must say there are ALOT of mistakes in that transcript, but it's the only one I can find that is on thirteen ghosts. Please message me if you have another transcript I can use, and if you have any ideas on which ghost she should( as in Alessa) like. Thank you for reading and hopefully commenting.**

**Fin~**

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	3. Unexpected Memories of Alessa

**Torn Between  
**_By TornPrince'sSmile  
_  
Chapter three: Unexpected Memories of Alessa  
**Disclaimer: I don't own Thirteen Ghosts, the director and screen writer does; I only own Alessa and parts of the plot.  
****(A/N: Thanks to Junk Puppet, ya'll get an update.)**

* * *

Alessa was awestruck by what happened; her father just broke the house.

"I think you broke it daddy." She said innocently. Arthur glared softly at his daughter. Alessa smiled weakly and 'accidently' bumped into Dennis, as his nametag read, and gave him a sweet smile.

"Sorry mister." Dennis looked to be in-pain. He held his head and cried out—everyone stopped and stared.

"What did you do?!" Kathy screamed at her, looking at the kneeling man.

"I bumped into him!" she yelled back as Dennis slowly over-came what ever had over-came him in the first place.

-

"_Get off of me you bastard!" the raven haired girl screamed, pushing hands off of her._

"_Ah—come on baby, let's have a lil' fun." Alessa cried, tears streaming down her face._

"_No! No!" she tried with all her might to push him off, "get off!" a scream erupted in her throat as she felt something penetrate her. She could feel her innocence being ripped from her. She could feel the crimson liquid spill from her between her thighs._

"_No! No!" she screamed more and more, even as the bar became louder from behind them._

"_You'll grow to like it girlie, just wait." She cried more and more as he pushed in harder._

_-_

_Alessa was hit across the face; she held her face. _

"_Michael!" his grin ran over his face. He kicked her in the ribs._

"_Whore."_

_-_

"_Mommy!" a young Alessa cried out, the heart line was gone… nothing was there. She was left in the darkness._

-

Dennis whacked Alessa's hand away and got up.

"Sorry." Alessa gave him a side-ways glance, and then suddenly the doors opened. Alessa was taken back and bumped in Ben; he smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. She slapped his hands away and glared at him.

"Fuck off." Ben was taken back. She walked in after her family, and Dennis. She was awestruck. The house was amazing; you could see through the walls, just like outside. The other rooms were as amazing as the next. She could see stairs leading down and one leading up.

Many treasures filled the room. Many exotic paper hangings and many things from other countries such as a Japanese hand sword set that Bobby was eyeing. Arthur pulled his son back as he reached for the swords.

"In your dreams kiddo." Bobby pouted silently and walked over to his sister, Alessa. She had been quiet all this time, he wanted her to be her old self—like she was before the accident.

"Hey Lessie." He used the old nickname he said when he was too young to pronounce her real name. She smiled weakly.

"Hah, you've never called me that since you were a wee' baby." She stated quietly, it was true.

"First rule, no throwing stones inside or outside the house." Arthur spoke up, using some of his serious humor. Evidently Ben got his humor and laughed.

Dennis walked up to Ben and tapped his shoulder lightly and retreated his hand a moment after.

"What?" Ben snapped at the freak that stood in front of him.

"Where are the breakers you suppose?" Ben scoffed.

"You're the electrical genius, you tell me." Dennis rolled his eyes—this man was very self-centered and absorbed.

"I'll be downstairs and out of your hair before you realize it."

"The sooner the better." Sarcasm filled Ben's voice, and Dennis was down the stairs in a snap. Alessa went to follow him, but Arthur held her back.

"Stay here while I and Mr. Moss get the papers settled."

"We're taking it!?" Kathy exploded. Arthur nodded his head silently and with a smiled, him and Ben left. Kathy gave Maggie and Bobby 'the look' and raced off. Alessa sighed and followed where Dennis had gone—down the steps. Leading her to god knows where… the one thing she didn't know was it was hell the steps led to.

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**(A/N:  
****Yea, pretty much. Another chapter will be up in a moment.  
****Thanks to Junk Puppet again; your review made me smile :))**

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	4. Great

**Torn Between  
**_By TornPrince'sSmile_

Chapter four: Great…  
**Disclaimer: I don't own Thirteen Ghosts, the director and screen writer do; I only own Alessa and parts of the plot.**

* * *

"So what's the catch?" Arthur asked Moss as they entered the library.

"What?"

"The house is perfect, it must cost a lot." Ben laughed, and Arthur looked confused.

"Cyrus put you on the will and paid for the next twenty years; you have all his money also… does it matter?" Arthur scratched his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this place."

_You should_, Ben thought as he smiled and handed Arthur the signing papers.

Alessa wondered around the basement, it was filled with glass 'cages' as she labeled them. The contained nothing, but they had some kind of writing on it. Suddenly the passage-way split into two parts.

"Right or left?" Alessa questioned silently. She shrugged her shoulders and turned left, missing a running Dennis by a moment. He seemed to be scared for his life.

-

Alessa started singing quietly. She remembered this song, this lullaby from her mother. When Alessa, Bobby, or Kathy got restless during the night the song always put tiredness over them and slowly they would fall asleep.

_"Do you see what I see?_

_Restless loves, sighing tonight._

_Loving lovers, cuddle under the starlight._

_Do you see what I see?_

_Skating lovers, picture perfect._

_Sleep now, sleep tight._

_Don't let the bed-bugs bite._

_Sing this song inside your head,_

_'til the dawn spreads._

_Do you see what I see?_

_Closing eyes and song birds tweets."_

She knew somehow, where ever her mother was; she was sure she heard it.

_"Lovers quarrel over nights."_

Alessa's eyes widened, who was singing? She glanced around and saw no one. Was she going crazy? Was this house playing tricks on her now?

"Alessa." Her voice was called out. She swished her head around and saw no one—this was insane, it sounded like her mother.

"Alessa?" tears filled her eyes.

"Who's speaking? I do not like people playing tricks on me." The voice was no longer there. She slid onto the glass and yawned, "What to do." Her eyes closed and when she opened them again, they traveled to the floor. Sitting on the ground was a pair of see-threw glasses. She quirked a thin eyebrow and picked them up.

"Hello," she said in a singsong voice, "didn't see you there." She slipped the glasses on and looked around; nothing was different. Suddenly a bat swung at the glass she was looking at. She shrieked and looked towards the glass. A boy, around her age, looked towards her angrily. He mouthed something along the lines of 'get out of here.' She couldn't read his lips before something pounded behind her. Turning she saw a mess of hair nestled inside a box cage. She gave a scream and ran down the invisible halls.

--

"This is impossible." Arthur cried out; his children were gone. Suddenly a scream erupted, he couldn't pine point were. Now that Ben Moss was gone he wasn't sure were he was in the first place. He ran up the clear steps and ran upstairs; he needed to find his children.

--

A nude woman sat inside her cell; waiting for a dumbass to trigger the opening. Suddenly a man walked by and talked to her.

"Hello sweet thing." She growled and grabbed her knife, slashing at the glass. He took a step back and smiled; he walked away.

"Men." She grumbled. Suddenly a girl ran passed, guessing the girl didn't see the nude woman, she slid down the glass.

"What's going on here? Ghosts?" apparently the girl understood what they were… Dana stared at the girl; she had a strange beauty to her; she wanted it. Since her body was no good, she wanted this girl.

Her body was _perfect_. Slim figure with the right amount of curves in the right places. Her face was clear and she had beautiful black hair and glistening green eyes. Dana especially loved the girl's plump lips.

She smashed the knife against the glass. The girl jumped and looked at the nude woman; the glass had opened.

--

Alessa screamed with fright as the woman appeared in front of her; the ghost was pretty, but with cuts along her body… it was very unappealing. Suddenly Ben snuck up behind the ghost. Alessa took the chance and ran.

-

She didn't know where the stairs were anymore, the clear walls didn't help one bit. She searched, but only found the caged ghosts. Her face was hot from tears and screaming, she felt like no one could hear her. This was horrible, she was being chased by ghosts… great.

--

Royce watched as the raven haired girl waltzed around in her little skirt; it brought unwanted feelings in his stomach—he hated this feeling. He was the all-star baseball player, but after his accident he hated looking at girls and getting…all _weird_ down there and in his head—this girl was making him feel weird in his heart also. He swung the bat towards the glass and watched the girl jump; this was the second time.

"Run." He said towards her—watching Ryan come up from behind her. She looked confused. Suddenly the glass opened and Royce veered out.

He grabbed the girl by the wrist and pulled her away from the reaching claws of the demon. Ryan grinned evilly.

"Got a new crush there pretty boy?" Royce growled and held his bat up. He took a good swing towards Ryan—he easily dodged and ran passed Royce. He took the girl by the arm and started the claw at her.

Tearing her shirt to shreds, all that was left was the remaining straps she knew as her bra, until Royce finally succeed at pulling him off.

The Jackal was glaring at Royce as he rubbed his bruised head.

"You'll pay pretty boy, and you'll regret it too." Royce raised his bat again, but Ryan tucked out and ran.

Royce looked towards the girl, she was frightened—tears rolled down her face. He took a step forward, but the girl whimpered and backed up.

"P-please don't hurt me Mister." Royce's eyes widened and his 'eyebrows' knitted together. Suddenly, he sat Indian-style in front of the crying girl, bat in place just in case.

"Royce." He spoke, his voice hoarse and he had long forgotten the huskiness to it. The girl looked up.

"You warned me before." Royce raised his eyebrow.

"Then why didn't you listen?"

"I found you…interesting." Royce looked at the girl as if she were dumb.

"Doll-face, you gotta learn to listen." Alessa smiled croakily.

"Alessa."

"That's a weird name."

"And Royce isn't?" Royce rolled his eyes and stared at the girl—he liked her.

**

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**

(A/N: Yep, so Jackal's an ass for now and Royce is a total knucklehead—lol just kidding, he's a sweetheart and that's just how he'll be in this story because that's how I picture him before he got all burnt up.)


	5. Royce

Torn Between  
_By Masque de Naïf Beaute_

**Chapter five: Royce**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Sorry I haven't update in so long! ): Though I'd like to thank some people (reviews):

**Htr17**: My first reviewer! Thank you, thank you! (:

**XxDisturbedxxAngelxx**: I don't get the ghost/human pairings either, but you're right unless this is going to have incest in it (WHICH IT WON'T D: ) It'll be a ghost/human pairing. The sequel could solve that problem though ;)

**Animal Mongoose**: Thank you! I love Royce ;) lol

**Lady Ryou**: I'm going to make a Jackal/OC story soon so you should watch out for that! =)

**Junk Puppet**: THANK YOU! You're review meant a lot to me and it gave me the inspiration for another chapter!

**Jack is Back**: The Jackal is awesome isn't me? (:

**HermioneandMarcus**: THANK YOU! (: and you're welcome m'dear (;

**Phantom's Ange**: Aw thank you(:

Also, here are the stats for this story: Hits: 1,545 C2s: 1 Favorites: 8 and finally, Alerts: 19

* * *

"Why did you wander off by yourself?" Royce asked as he stood up from their place on the ground. Alessa stood up as well and looked at the, gruesomely, handsome ghost.

"I felt like this house was calling for me. Plus, it's not like anybody cared." Alessa took in Royce's appearance. He was _adorable_, well for someone as burnt up as him. His sandy blond hair was poofed up from gel and, what Alessa thought was, hairspray. His brown eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you mean? I heard your family in here as well. Don't they care about you?" Alessa's head snapped up from the interesting floor.

"Well y-yeah they do, but I doubt anyone even noticed I was missing." Royce rolled his eyes and placed his bat over his right shoulder, "after that screaming fest you had, it was kind of hard _not_ to notice you were here." Alessa's eyes widened unrepentantly.

"What about my family!" she half screamed, half asked, "that ghost that attacked me could attack them!" Royce looked at the girl that stood in front of him, at her shaking figure.

"Ryan? He's the last ghost you should worry about right now. There are worst ghosts locked up here. Believe me," he seemed to take a deep breath, "I've met them." Royce grabbed Alessa's wrist and started dragging her along.

"How do you know you can trust me?" Alessa smiled sadly.

"Because you haven't attacked me yet, right?" Royce didn't comment as he pulled her along the endless halls until they came upon a bloodied body.

"OH MY GOD!" Alessa ripped her wrist back and covered her mouth with that hand. It had been the human that came with her, Royce though as he poked the motionless body with the end of his bat, "don't do that," Alessa said as she grabbed _his_ wrist, "it's disrespectful."

Royce _snarled_.

He _snarled _at _her_.

Ripping, his wrist back he turned around on his heel.

"You want to know something disrespectful to do to corpses! Dig them up so the ghost is called to their body and capture them! Lock them up here! Lock them up where they can't escape!" Rage filled his voice as his nostrils flared. Alessa looked down at her shoes.

"I know, I'm sorry… my uncle did this to you." Royce narrowed his eyes.

"Your flesh and blood did this to me?" his voice was snarling at her. Alessa took a step back and looked up at him, her eyes filling with fear. Her body was trembling again.

"I-I'm sorry." Alessa backed up as he raised his bat towards her. Her eyes widened as tears seemingly escaped her eyes. They trailed down her cheeks and dropped to the floor. Royce stopped suddenly as the bat started going down.

It was his turn to back up as he held his head and vanished.

Once again Alessa was left alone, but this time tears escaped her eyes and hit the floor. She covered her eyes with her palms and sobbed once, twice, and a third before she wiped them away and continued on her way. Avoiding Ben's body altogether.

* * *

The twists and turns were hazy as she rushed around the halls. She ran into several ghosts since Royce suddenly up and disappeared. The one that attacked her (attacked her again, but she escaped as he dragged her down the hallways,) a torso that was wrapped up in plastic, and a little boy with a hole in his forehead.

She gasped as she put her hand on the corner of one of the forming hallways. She was starting to get claustrophobic. Her clothes had long been shredded and her bra was barely on. She had one hand holding it up and the other was at her side, the cuts and bruises forming. Blood dripped down towards her hand. Then she saw _him_, the guy that was in the orange jumpsuit before.

"Hey! D-Dennis!" She barely remembered his name. He turned around and upon seeing her, his face flushed. She smiled, almost sadly, as she ran over to him. She didn't touch him, thinking about the incident that happened earlier.

When she reached him, her face was as flushed as his was.

"What happened to you?" His voice was soft as his eyes avoided her torso.

"A ghost… caged… head." were the only words he could make out when he unbuttoned his shirt (leaving him in his undershirt) and put it over her shoulders.

"Cover up," his voice was louder than before, but still as soft, "hurry up." He made a swift hand motion as she started buttoning up his multicolored shirt. It hung down by her thighs were her "barely-there" skirt had almost disappeared. She rolled up the sleeves slightly and tapped on his shoulder.

"Done."

* * *

"You ran into how many ghosts!" he almost shouted, "and survived?" Alessa scratched the back of her head, she was still woozy from the blood loss.

"How many are there?"

"Well, according to Cyrus there are _suppose_ to be thirteen." Alessa snapped her head over to him.

"What do you _suppose_ to be?" Dennis swallowed the large amount of saliva that was building up his mouth.

"When I worked for Cyrus…" he was cut off by Alessa's voice, "**you** worked for **Cyrus**!" Her voice was caught between shrill and enraged.

_He helped trap Royce here_, her thoughts echoed. Dennis sighed at her reaction as they stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"It was a big mistake. He told me he'd pay me… big and I was poor. I tried to help him, but… I knew it was wrong." Dennis sounded as sad as she was. Alessa followed her arms across her chest and looked at him.

"Alright," her voice was soft just as his was almost minutes ago, "so how do we get out of here?"

"Since I've come down here, the house has blocked itself up. The windows and doors are gone and the passage ways are changing to."

"So that's why I couldn't find a way out earlier." Dennis nodded, "that and I know these hallways can be nerve-wracking also. You don't know where you began and ended, everything is..."

"the same?" Alessa finished for him as she pointed towards the crossroads they passed two minutes ago, "we've been going around in circles. I always though it'd be hard to get lost inside a glass hou-" Dennis's hand cut off her voice as he slyly slide his hand over her lips.

She watched, wide eyes as a large man and small woman crossed their path.

"Run." He said into her ear, "don't stare, when I say go, run." It was only a moment later when the giant man took a step forth did Dennis scream: "RUN!"

* * *

While Dennis and Alessa were running they got separated.

* * *

Unfortunately for Alessa, Dennis found the steps. Not waiting for the young girl, he raced up the steps to meet with the rest of her family.

Alessa ran past the "cages" that long ago had been opened and wished that they'd close. Suddenly, upon seeing she was at a dead end, she turned around and was faced to face with, her mother? Alessa's breath caught in her throat as her mother, as beautiful as ever, stepped closer to Alessa. She was in her hospital gown.

"Alessa…" Her hand reached out and touched Alessa's cheek. Alessa's eyes started to cry the liquid she thought had been long forgotten, "Alessa, you need to go back upstairs." Her voice echoed throughout the halls.

"I've tried mommy," Alessa's voice was strained, "but I can't find a way out! I-I-" she was cut off by her mother's finger caressing against her lips.

"Don't cry dear one," her voice was like a thousand bells to Alessa's ears, "you'll find a way out. You have to. There are too many enraged ghosts…too many." Alessa shook her head as the tears came out still.

"I will mommy, I promise!" Her mother smiled sadly and turned around, only to start walking away.


	6. Am I Okay?

**Torn Between  
**_By Masque de Naïf Beaute  
_Chapter six: Am I okay?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: The poll has decided that Torn Between, As Soon As You Can, and Wait! So my Grandfather wasn't crazy? And that means that the sequel to Torn Between will have to be done as well before I start on As Soon As You Can, because that's only fair since this story will be so short and all!

Hope you enjoy this be-late chapter, and I'll be gone for the next week. I'm going up to South Dakota with my family for a family reunion (which hopefully is more fun than last years one…) so I won't be updating, but when I come back I'll be sure to upload all the chapters I've written (etc…)

Anyways, on with the story! By the way, this chapter has _actually action_ in it! Surprising for one of my fics really. Tell me how my fighting scenes are! Thank you! (:

* * *

Alessa reached out a cut hand as her eyes squeezed shut.

"MOM!" she screamed after her mother's ghost. The ghost didn't turn around, nor did she make any sort of motion, emotion; _nothing_. Alessa went against her better judgment and chased after her mother's fainting figure.

"MOM!" she screamed, again, but this time louder than before, "PLEASE! MOM?" she screamed again, but no avail. Her mother's figure was completely gone. She felt tears threatening to fall, but she wiped them away before they could fall. Her rage boiled up inside her as she slammed her fist against the glass wall, making her wrist throb with pain.

Her face turned red as she screamed again, a piercing loud scream.

"Alessa!" she heard a voice scream threw the thin walls. Her head snapped around to meet the gaze of her father's.

"Daddy!" she screamed, mentally jumping up and down with glee, "daddy! Please, come and get me; please daddy!" she yelled as she looked at the maze of hallways she'd have to tread threw to get to her father.

He pushed his hand against the glass and looked with her with a worried glance.

"Just stay there! I'll get you out of there!" Alessa suddenly heard a foreign sound. She looked over to her right and saw a glass door coming _straight_ at her. Alessa, eyes wide, screamed and immediately pushed back from the glass as the door closed her off inside a room. Closed her off from the outside.

She started pounding on the glass, yelling, anything that could symbolize she was stuck.

She didn't want this. She wanted a normal life, one with a mother. One without all the drama of _ghosts_ for god sake! She was only seventeen! Why couldn't she be normal for once?

Then it struck her.

She was _trapped_.

But no one ever said she was trapped _alone_.

Swirling around, she was met with the hard gaze of a female ghost, that wasn't _her _mother. She had ruby red hair, plump lips, and black eyes. Cuts and slashes were marked along her pale body. She was _naked _and _torn_. Alessa felt her heart stop from the mere thought of being _torn_ like the girl was.

Yes, she was beautiful, but the cuts and slashes regarded her beauty with a new found _fear_. Alessa felt against the wall, hoping for a handle of some sorts, maybe the door had opened?

_No such luck_.  
Luck was not on her side today.

The girl looked at Alessa, tilted her head and fiddled with the butcher's knife that she held in her hand.

Looking down at the knife and back at Alessa she smirked, an evil, tormented smirk.

Alessa gulped. _She was going to die, _wasn't she?

"N-no need for violence now," why was she trying to compromise with an angry ghost? Alessa closed her eyes and when she opened them the ghost stood in front of her, the knife held high. Alessa, being one of the melodramatic theatrical types, screamed before she decided to jump for dear life.

She jumped, tucked, and rolled away from the ghost. Only to have the ghost at her side when she stood up from unconsciously hitting her head against the glass. Alessa didn't know what to do. Sure she learned self-defense, but was it _useful_ against a ghost?

She didn't want to take the chance of leaving her self open, so the only thing she could do was defend herself.

As the ghost raised her knife, again, Alessa ducked and dodged; the knife barely missing by a centimeter. Alessa took the chance to see if ghosts could be harmed and kicked out the girl's shins.

It_ worked_.

Alessa was surprised by this new discovery. In the movies, ghosts just disappeared and reappeared somewhere else.

The girl fell on her butt as she glared up angrily and let out a surprisingly intimidating snarl. Then she just disappeared.

"That was too simple," Alessa said to herself as she looked around the boxed in room, "way too easy."

"Maybe because your opponent decided to strike from behind?" She heard a shrill voice reply to her statement. Too slow to turn around, Alessa merely rolled out of the way.

That was too close for comfort. She ran her hand up to her head, but something seemed to be missing.

_Her hair._

Her black locks were scattered on the floor as the angry ghost stepped on it, her smirk dwindling on her face.

"Stupid girls with their long hair. They should know that all it does is get in the way," the ghost crouched down to her height and grabbed Alessa's head in her slightly large hand and bashed it against the glass. For a moment all she saw was stars when a sudden pain surged threw her body.

Screaming, she looked down at her knee.

A knife was severed threw her leg. She screamed again as the ghost pulled the knife out of her body, slowly. The ghost smirked amusingly down at Alessa as she brought the knife up to her mouth and licked the blade as the red liquid ran down the shinny metal.

The ghost moaned lowly, "Royce is missing out. You taste delicious." Alessa panted in pain and ripped Dennis's shirt. Making a temporary wrap around her leg, she shockingly stood up. Shaking roughly, Alessa guided herself along the walls.

"Where do you think you're going?" An angry voice said behind her, Alessa didn't move she knew it was the girl ghost that had a thing for her body, "I want those pretty little eyes next." Alessa's eyes widened in a sick fascination; the ghost wanted her body parts for her own? Suddenly the ghost had Alessa down, gripping her hair between her fingers.

The knife came down, and Alessa closed her eyes ready for the pain.

_It never came_.

Alessa felt the pressure from her head being released and a shrill scream sounding threw the air.

"ROYCE!" the ghost screamed enraged by him. Alessa turned on her side and looked up at the two ghosts, who were now battling it out. Bat versus knife; guess who was winning?

They always said: the bigger the better… even though when someone said that they were always talking about _something else. _

Alessa felt her heart swarm with heat, her face too.

Royce bellowed out with a large snarl, twice as big as the snarl the girl gave Alessa. Pressing herself against the glass, she ripped off more of the material to warp the leaking wound.

There was a large booming noise as Alessa's head snapped up. The girl ghost was running down the hall as Royce stood there with a grimace spreading across his face. Blood tattered his bat.

He kneeled down to her level and carefully placed a cold hand over the wound.

"Are you okay?" Alessa looked up, her face bloodied and black-and-blue; she never had felt this way before. Not that bruising, the way she felt safe. It was an amazing feeling. Nodding her head she cracked a smile.

"Am I okay?" Royce looked at her. Confused for a moment, but it quickly snapped in his mind. The fight they had a little over four hours ago.

"You're okay." He replied a short amount of time later as he, seemingly, caressed the open wound. Alessa looked at Royce. She wanted to hug him badly right now. Just a spontaneous hug that showed him how much she felt safe with him… even if he was an enraged ghost.

Royce placed the bat down beside he resting knee and unwrapped the seeping cloth. He grimaced at the bleeding, fresh, wound. He took his hand and traveled down her leg, sending sparks up and down Alessa's body. A flash of sadness took over his face, but only a split second. It was gone a minute later as he took his bat and swung it behind him.

It was deflected by a black cane. The cane overpowered Royce as his body slammed against the wall. Alessa looked on, in horror, as Royce angrily stood up and swung again, but this time the cane was at her neck; crushing her trachea.

She let out a ragged breath as she clenched the cane, trying to rip it away from her throat.

"Put the bat down boy," the voice was familiar, "or the girl dies." But his voice was colder. She looked up and gasped as the cane removed itself from her throat. She only gasped again at the face of the ghost.

"Uncle Cyrus?" she questioned, almost unbelievably. Her uncle's face crinkled with a revolting smile.

"Yes my _dear_ niece, it is your sweet ol' uncle." Then, everything went black.


	7. Sacrifice of the Thirteen Ghost

**Torn Between  
**_By Masque de Naïf Beaute  
_Chapter seven: Sacrifice of the Thirteen Ghost

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Okay, so I decided to update before I leave tomorrow so you guys didn't have to suffer _as _much. (Ha-ha, I'm so full of myself it isn't even funny…) So anyways, this is going along with the movie plot line and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The sequel, that has yet to be named, shall be typed up when I have the time, but watch out for it! The last chapter is only two chapters away! I'm kind of sad this is coming to an end! D: I've had so much writing it, editing it, and watching people enjoy it!

So review it makes me update much faster and it makes me have the inspiration to write! That means all you alerts and favorites that are hiding!

* * *

Her head was pounding as the sounds of chanting echoed throughout her mind. Mindless chanting that is. It didn't sound like anything she'd ever heard before.

Her eyes fluttered open slightly, her vision blurred. Her wrists burned from the intensity of something. She tried to move her hands, only to realize that her wrists were tied together and to someone else's hands.

Tilting her head back, she saw Kathy and Bobby; scared faces. Kathy's turned into one of relief as she seen Alessa wake up.

"We thought you were a goner little sis!" Her voice was loud. Alessa struggled to loosen her wrists from her bind. Kathy tried to settle down her sister; "we've been down here for hours; trust me if we can't get out of the ropes, neither can you." Alessa looked at her sister with a sinister glare.

"Look!" she yelled, "what about Dad? He might be hurt, seriously injured… or worse!" She screamed that last part as se struggled from her binds; no such luck.

Suddenly the metal flooring they were sitting on started to move. It started to lift itself up towards a blinding light that was coming out of a circle cut out of the flooring from above. When they were placed at the top, a slicing sound ensued.

Alessa's eyes widened as the ghosts were floating in _mid-air_, joined hands, and chanting. Just like the dream she had. She saw her mother, Royce, and the many ghosts that attacked her.

Rings swirled around them, coming down like blades. Kathy screamed slightly as she tucked in her foot more, making Alessa almost get her foot cut off; it was a tight fit.

"Kathy! Alessa!" Bobby yelled, as he huddled in closer. He was scared of the blade like objects swirling around them. Hell, Alessa was scared too. Who wouldn't be?

"Don't look!" Kathy screamed as she joined her bound hands with Bobby's and Alessa's. Alessa screamed as the other pair of rings flapped up, spinning in the opposite direction this time. Bobby's grip tightened.

"I don't wanna look!" he screamed back at Kathy. Alessa closed her eyes, but re-opened them hearing Kathy scream something: "DAD!"

Her eyes snapped open seeing her dad standing in the arch-way of the corridor. She felt tears from relief he was okay, streaming down her face.

"DAD!" she screamed soon after; Kathy and her, both, struggling for some sort of release so they could race to their father and hug him tightly. Their dad soon realized that not only could he not reach them, they were scared, and wanting him to make it stop. He raised the glasses, which Alessa too had been wearing. His eyes widened, probably at the sight of the ghosts circling around them as well.

"Daddy…get us out of here…" Her voice cracked over the chanting. Their dad approached the outer most rings and looked like he was ready to jump when another inner ring flapped up, spinning in yet another direction; creating a sound of a meat grinder and mixer, combined. The rings were even closer to the kids now and Alessa screamed at her father: "Please daddy! Make it stop! Please!"

Bobby whimpered not soon afterwards as they slouched down.

Their dad looked around at the situation and turned around. Alessa noticed it as well; Cyrus stood at the entrance, a sinister look on his old face.

She couldn't hear the conversation over the loud sounds of the blades and chanting, but she could tell her father was yelling at their dead uncle. Suddenly their Uncle points over at them as, yet, another set of rings lifted up and circled them.

They spun in a whole other direction.

Alessa shrieked as well as Kathy as the blades got ever closer. Their dad takes a step closer to the blades as they come down upon them.

"I want you guys to know…I love you all more than anything." Kathy was first to realize what he was going to do when she saw him getting in the jump motion.

"Dad; Don't!" Kathy's scream echoed in the corridor. Alessa was next to realize it; he was willing to sacrifice his life for theirs.

"Daddy, please don't!" She was a walking contradiction.

"Daddy!" Bobby screamed, not totally realizing what his father was about to do.

"It's the only way. I'm sorry…" he tightened his hand into a fist, "take care of each other." Then he stopped, his fingers lowering themselves one by one. He was counting, but what was he counting? Alessa didn't question him, when suddenly he turned around and ran at their uncle!

He swung his fists and punched him, hard. He was screaming something, but Alessa couldn't make it out. Every swing he swung he yelled something at their uncle, until Cyrus kicked their dad in the stomach, making him fly back slightly and hit the glass that was behind him.

They share words.

But in the end a sword was pointed at their dad's throat.

"DAD!" Alessa screamed at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks, "DON'T KILL HIM CYRUS!" Her voice was small and she doubted that they heard her.

Suddenly the chanting ended and there was silence, the only sounds were heavy breathing and swooshing of the blades.

Cyrus looked up in confusion as did their dad.

Their dad quickly seizes the moment and kicks Cyrus's legs, throwing him off balance and stumbling backwards.

Like a cripple, Cyrus lands on his ass taking everything down with him.

Their dad scoops up the cane as Cyrus struggles to get on his feet. When he does get up on his own feet though, their dad is at the ready and cracks the cane in Cyrus's chest, making him sail down the hallway.

Alessa spots Dennis, but this time he was different…

_He was dead_.

Her mouth was agape as she stared at Dennis, his bloodied and bashed in head. Alessa held fear in her mind and mouth. Her tongue was dry.

Then Alessa's gaze was ripped from him to Cyrus.

The ghosts started tearing at him and she could hear him scream, then suddenly he was lifted into the air by the ghosts, including Royce.

"Don't look!" Their dad screams as Kathy and Bobby look away, Alessa too afraid to look away. Suddenly the ghosts reached the outer rings of the blades and threw Cyrus in.

Blood and bones splattered everywhere. Blood splashed on the children as they all screamed in union.

Two more rings flap up, moving even closer to them as the hall moans with great displeasure.

"Daddy!" Bobby screams as Kathy holds him close, the bindings undone. Alessa joined in and hugged Bobby close to her chest as well.

"Just hang on! I'm coming!" Her readied himself for the fourth time that night and suddenly jumped. As if in slow motion, Alessa saw their father's figure flipping over to them. Her eyes widened when his feet landed on the circle piece they laid on. The rings flapped up a milli-second later, cutting into a piece of cloth that fell off of their dad's shirt.

He gathered them in his arms and hugged them close, covering their eyes.

"Don't move! Keep your heads down!"

The house starts to blow apart. Glass rains down on them.

Their dad's grip tightened.

The house is crumbling around them. The only safe place was where they were standing.

The fury and rage builds within the house and suddenly starts to collapse around them.

It was only followed by silence…

Dust and smoke danced around the four bodies that stood in the middle of it all. Alessa opened her eyes and gasped at the destruction of the house, but her small gasp was covered by their dad's booming voice.

"Are you guys okay?" Bobby nods against Alessa's still arm. Alessa takes her dad into a loving embrace, followed by Kathy and finally Bobby.

"I love you Daddy," Alessa spoke first; Kathy followed saying the same thing, and again lastly Bobby.

"I love you guys too," He tightens the thresh hold of the hug. As their dad's arms tightened around them, Alessa looked up and saw their mother. She was standing on one of the last circling rings. She was reverted back to her healthy looking self as she smiled at them. She mouthed something to them, but Alessa couldn't make it out.

Then, she disappeared.

Their dad pulls them closer now and smiles.

"Let's get out of here huh?" He squeezes Alessa's shoulder and Kathy's as Bobby stands up.


	8. Goodbyes?

**Torn Between  
**_By Masque de Naïf Beaute  
_Chapter eight: Goodbyes?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I didn't touch my computer the whole vaction! I'm so sorry! D: I was having to much fun with my cousins and the rest of my family! Most of my family members I only see once a year so...yeah, haha.

* * *

Alessa leaned against the car, she looked at the house that was burnt to the ground. Only shattering pieces of metal, sheets, and dirt were left. She pushed her newly shortened hair behind her ear and heaved a heavy sigh.  
When she opened her eyes again, she nearly screamed.

The ghosts were wandering off into the forest. One after the other, but the thing that surprised her was that Royce was standing in front of her.  
His bat was slung over his shoulder and he was biting the inside of his cheek. His face was still burnt up, but he was still as handsome.

"Hey dolly," he began, but Alessa cut him off, "Alessa, not Dolly." Royce only smiled gingerly when Alessa noticed something odd- she wasn't wearing the glasses anymore. Why could she see him?

"Why can I see you?" Alessa questioned as she patted his chest, which worked. Royce looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What?" Alessa now looked even more intrigued.

"I don't have the glasses on. Why can I see you?" Royce looked directly into her eyes, making her flush a brilliant shade of pink. She even felt her ears heating up.

"I have no idea." He reached out his hand and touched her face. It was so real, it felt so real. Alessa, unknowingly, leaned into it. Nuzzling his hand. She felt safe for some odd reason.

"Is this goodbye?" Alessa asked, not opening her eyes to see his face. His hand quickly retreated as she peeked between her closed eyelids. His face was contorted into an emotion of confusion.

"Goodbye?" Royce took a step closer, "do you want it to be?" _That's a silly question to ask_, Alessa thought silently. Then again, she felt her face heat up. Never in her life had she felt this way about anyone or anything.

"Do I want it to be?" Alessa repeated slowly, the words rolling off her tongue. "A simple question dollface, do you want it to be a goodbye?" he paused, "it's not like I have anywhere to go anyways." Alessa smiled lightly.

"Then no," she said quietly, "I don't want this to be a goodbye." She wanted to hug him so badly. As if reading her mind, Royce smirked and hugged her closely. She felt mist growing on her skin and the smell of musk coming off of him.

"Alessa?" When she opened her eyes, Royce was gone and in his place stood her dad. Alessa's eyes softened and teared up; had she imagined the whole thing? "Are you ready to go?" Alessa nodded her head slowly.

"Yeah Dad, let's get out of here." Once they were in the car, they started driving off. Alessa was sitting in the back with Bobby and Kathy; both of them were asleep. She looked back at the ruins of the house. She felt new tears build up in her eyes; she felt like something was ripping inside of her.

"Goodbye..." Biting her tongue, she turned around again. This time she felt something watching her. Looking around, she didn't see anything. She felt herself sweating lightly. The drops rolling down her forehead.

Something was defiantly there. She swallowed hard and looked over in the rear view mirror.  
Sitting next to her was... the jackal. Her eyes widened as the whole car was filled with his sickeningly cackle and her screams.

* * *

"WAKE UP ALESSA!" She twisted away from the hand that was grabbing at her. She screamed again and her eyes ripped themselves open. Kathy looked over worried for her sister. As Alessa looked down, Bobby was holding her hand. His face was painted with worry.

"We're home." Alessa was calming down as she looked at her Father.

"Where is home anymore?"


	9. Like crazy

**Torn Between  
**_By Masque de Naïf Beaute  
_Chapter nine: Like crazy

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the awful grammar last chapter; I didn't do a spell check! I'm a horrible editor, sorry.

* * *

The rain pattered against the window sill as Alessa curled her legs up to her chest; her arms hugged them close as her eyes fluttered close. She laid her head against the cool window.  
When she opened her eyes, an eccentric lightning flash lit up the entire sky. Alessa's eyes went wide as she almost fell back from the window. Thunder boomed making the house shake with energy. Biting her lip, Alessa closed her eyes and sharply covered her ears.

She _hated _lighting and thunder. Don't get her wrong, she loved the rain. She could handle the rain, but thunder _and_ lightning? No way.

Scampering over to her wardrobe, she ripped open the doors and abruptly closed them. Covering her ears once more, she started thinking about something else. Thinking of a place other than the one she was in. _Anything was better than being here right now_, she though as silence enveloped her.

She started thinking about everything around her, everyone.  
Since the silence was killing her.

It had been almost three months since the whole ordeal with the thirteen ghosts, with her mom's entity, and her dead Uncle (that squandered the family fortune, remember?)... since Royce.

Kathy had moved on from the whole thing, of course she still lived with them... but she wasn't the same. She became more serious, she became more... more like Ben Moss had been. She had found a boyfriend, his name was Dennis Koth. He was so fun, so playful; almost the exact opposite of her current sister. In many ways she knew it was because she was off at college, getting her literature degree.

Bobby had found a new hobby, much to Kathy's liking, but Alessa's dislike. He had found airplans, model airplanes that costed a fortune. Now, it wasn't a problem because of the fortune that they had gotten threw the inncident of the ghosts. Since the ordeal, even the word "death" made Bobby squirm in his seat.  
He liked airplanes so much, he was even thinking about going to the air force academy.

Arthur... Dad. He had bought a new house, in a new state, in a new town. A new everything. He had a steady job that made me gone till midnight and leave as early as four o'clock. Alessa seemed to the only one to be bothered by this. He hadn't changed in his merry ways, but something was eating him from the inside. Alessa could just tell by looking at him, but whenever she asked him about it... he shut down.

As for herself?

She was utterly alone. She asked her father for a home tutor, which he happily hired one. He was an aspiring home school teacher; his name? Ryan Easton. She really didn't like him; he was fresh out of college and looked to much like a younger version of her father. She didn't make a big deal out of it though, she didn't bother; who'd listen to her?  
She found herself watching the weather channel for hours, or listening to music till late hours; she was just alone.

Other than Ryan, she had made one friend (she didn't really think of Ryan as a friend, but he's better than nothing, right?) his name was Kevin Potts. She didn't see him much since he just started public school not too long ago.

Thunder cracked again, shaking even the wardrobe. Tears rolled down her face as she sweat seemed the drown her face. Silently she sobbed.

She hated thunder and lightning; hated it.

* * *

After sitting in the in closed space for, what seemed like, hours. She opened the wardrobe, the doors swinging back into the wall. She didn't bother to look around, no one was home. She stepped out of the wooden place, her feet down on the hardwood flooring.  
She twirled a piece of her coppy locks on her finger as the tears still rolled down her cheeks, the sweat made her bangs stick to her forehead. The rain slightly pattered on the window, the sky was still grey. Sliding the rest of her body out of the small space, she started to walk over towards her canopy bed (which her father insisted on buying for her,) and sat down.

She felt like something was watching her. Averting her eyes over to the door she noticed that it was wide open. No one stood at the doorway.  
Silently walking over to the frame, she peered down the hallways. Nothing moved, no sounds echoed. Everything was still.

Shaking her head, she re tracked her body when it made contact with something hard; she felt dew make contact with her skin, making the sweat freeze in it's place. The old smell of musk and dirt filled her nostrils.  
She knew that smell, that feel anywhere.

Turning around, her eyes softened as a quiet sob arose in her throat.

"R-Royce?" her voice spluttered out. She tried to cover it, to the best of her abilities anyways. The same, smug smirk pulled on his lips.  
To her shock, and surprise, he dropped his bat. Almost in slow motion he gathered her up in his arms, in one foul swoop. The dew prickled on her skin and made her shiver; she loved this feeling.

"Miss me?" Alessa asked, trying to cover up the sob that had arisen from her throat. Sounding it self in the quiet room.

"You're a hard person to find; not only did you move house, you moved states-" he was put off by Alessa, squeezing tighter on him and nuzzling into his chest. Giving some sort of self pleasure as he responded to her question, "like crazy."

**A/N: So this is the final chapter, the sequel shall be posted up in the near future (meaning tomorrow or perhaps in the next week) it will be called: _Never Alone_. Get it? :D  
It was fun writing this, but it will be even funner getting to write my own plot! Hope to see you in the sequel!**


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